Question

You have been assigned to lead a project team. You have been given a lot of latitude in how you will lead this team. Think about all of the aspects involved in planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling this project team. Write a two-page paper on what the five functions of management mean and how you would utilize each of them to successfully put together and lead this project team. 

1. Planning 2. Organizing 3. Staffing 4. Coordinating 5. Controlling

   
   

Answer 1

To lead a project team I would amply utilize and implement the principles of the five functions of management as discussed below:

1. Planning – This management function involves settings standards and goals, developing rules and procedures, developing plans and forecasting. As a project team leader I would use the function of planning to develop and create strategies that will help in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the team. This management function will be used to synchronize the team’s goals, objectives, strategies and plans and to ensure that all of these elements are working in tandem. The levels of planning that will be used by me will include strategic planning, tactical planning and operational planning. I will start by creating a strategic plan for the team by clearly defining its goals and objectives. As a team leader I will have to factor in flexibility as there will be coordination with different levels of management within the organization.

2. Organizing – This management function include giving specific task assignments to subordinates, establishing departments, delegating authority to subordinates, and establishing channels of authority and communication. I will use this management function to structure different resources within the team and different resources available to the team to support those activities that will be done and performed to accomplish the goals and objectives of the team. As a team leader I will use this management function to focus on what is to be done, in what order will the tasks be done, by whom will the different tasks and activities be done, what will be the different methods that will be deployed to perform the tasks, and when will be the tasks be performed. I will use the organizing function of management to control the overall structure of the team. It will serve as the foundation of the team and will ensure that the day to day functioning of the team is easy and manageable. Tasks and responsibilities will be designated to different members of the team as per their skill sets. Lastly a properly defined chain of command will be developed and used within the team.

3. Staffing – This management function include determining what type of people should be hired, recruiting prospective employees, and setting performance standards. Once the team is staffed they will have to be led properly using theories of motivation, leadership and communication. Also once the team is staffed the focus will shift on supervising the employee behavior, their performance, attendance and attitude. With this management function I will optimally control all recruitment and personnel needs of the team. This function will be used by me to hire the right people for the right jobs and tasks so as to ensure that the objectives and goals of the team are achieved. Staffing is much more than recruitment and will include orientation of the team members, their training and development, their performance appraisals, and their promotion.

4. Coordinating – This management function will help me to control the different activities of the team. When I talk about different activities I mean activities like organizing, planning and staffing activities. This will ensure that all activities function together meaningfully to create a synergy. Important focus areas will be communication, supervision, and direction by management.

5. Controlling – Controlling, together with coordinating include setting standards such as sales quotas, and quality standards and taking corrective action as needed. As a team leader I will use this management function to monitor the progress towards completion. It will also enable me to make necessary adjustments as and when required and desired. Specific control tools will be used to gather information and then evaluate the information in the context of the team. Control tools can be any of the four types – information, financial, operational and behavioral. If the pre-defined standard is not being attained and the resulting variance is not acceptable then the standards will have to be adjusted and revised. The essence of the controlling function is that as a team leader it will help me to ensure that all other functions of the organization are in place and are operating successfully.

Conclusion – As a leader of a project team I will use the above mentioned management functions to reach the team goals and objectives by developing a process or a series of activities that are continuous as well as related. The concentration of all activities and functions will be on reaching team goals. Each management function discussed above will influence other management functions and hence will have a direct bearing on the intended level of performance of the team.